lunes, 14 de julio de 2014

Una de las jovenes bandas de youthcrew actual, Test of time, desde la ciudad de Boston U.S.A. fichada por la conocida disquera Bridge 9 records, la cual en el 2013 hizo su primer tour por Mexico, Guatemala y El Salvador y se encuentra preparandose para su primer tour por Europa y apunto de presentar su mas reciente disco By Design, logramos conseguir una entrevista con uno de sus guitarristas Charles Chaussinand el cual nos habla un poco sobre su vida personal, experiencia en la musica y straight edge.1- How did you know about hardcore and straight edge? Remember your first show?
The first show I ever went to was June 13, 1997. It was the same day I claimed edge, actually. I had heard about the show through getting a flyer at a skatepark I was at. Some of the guys from the band Esteem were passing out flyers for an upcoming show they had with some other bands from Naples, FL and then a couple bands from Miami, and I happened to get one and I talked with them for a bit. I was already really into bands like Pennywise and The Offspring. Some of the other bands that played were Once Blind and The Asthmatics. I don’t remember who else was there. A few years later, I ended up joining Esteem as second guitar.

2- How did you start with your first band, and later with the new ones? Can you mention the names of all of them
The first band I started was called The 13th Step. It was really awful. We were all like 14, had no idea what we were doing, had terrible gear, and couldn't play our instruments at all. I sang and played guitar in the band. I think we probably played about five shows. One of them was with Against Me! at a different skatepark. It basically just allowed me to start booking other bands I wanted to see at these awful shows I was doing. From there, I started my first hardcore band called Direction. It was with the younger brother of one of the Esteem guys, and the bassist from Esteem playing drums in the beginning. Neither of those bands ever recorded, and Direction played maybe six shows. I was in another couple bands in the area until I finally joined Esteem. I played on the last recording the band did, which was a three song EP. After that, Larry and I started a band called Flame Still Burns that did a demo cassette and then a 7” split with Diehard Youth from California. Years later, we got back together for one show and released another EP on Townhall Records. After Flame Still Burns, I played in Make or Break that did a demo, LP, split and some other comp songs and a discography that included a bunch of demoed songs for another LP that we never did. I also played in Trample, Gator Bait, Thin Line, DEA, No Harm Done, Static Radio and Offsides. No Harm Done and Offsides were the most active of that bunch. I am sure there are probably a bunch of bands I am not remembering right now, but these are any people would have seen or been familiar with.

3- Where did your bands tour?
Flame Still Burns only toured the east coast, Make or Break did a couple longer east coast tours and a few shows in Canada, No Harm Done toured the entire US a ton of times as well as Canada and Mexico a few times. Offsides did the same. Trample did a couple east coast and a Central America tour. Static Radio did a few US tours (One with No Harm Done), a couple east coast trips down to the Fest and then we did a western Europe tour. Test of Time has only done a Central America tour so far and in a week, I am leaving for a European tour.

4- What it means straight edge in your life?
Straight edge has evolved as I have gotten older. When I was younger, I think that I was much more serious about defining myself as straight edge when I was younger. It would really bum me out when someone I knew would break edge, but I see it as much more an individual movement now. I do it for myself, I will be straight edge forever and always claim it, but I don’t care who else breaks. It will always be a bummer when you see someone turn to a path that is self destructive, but everyone does what they want to do and you just have to be the sort of friend they need. I think we discuss that a good bit on the Test of Time “Inclusion” demo. There are songs that lyrically deal with people making new choices in their lives and it doesn't matter because the choices are theirs. I do what I do, as best I am able, and I treat everyone the way I want to be treated, regardless of what they are doing in their lives. I think I am more bothered by someone breaking veganism than straight edge since that impacts lives outside of their own.

5- Which bands influenced you?
I run a spectrum of all sorts of bands. I love the earlier Epitaph bands (Pennywise, Bad Religion, Rancid) and all of the obvious bands like Sick of it All, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Dag Nasty, CIV, etc. These are just classics that, I feel, need to be heard as a foundation. I also really love bands like Sense Field, Third Eye Blind, Silverchair and a lot of the late 90’s Revelation Records sound. Quicksand, Orange 9mm and a lot of those heavier bands really played a part in what I like to. The one thing I never really got into, aside from maybe Into Another, is metal. I have not owned any metal records and never have been too interested to listen. I suppose I like some hair metal bands, but I don’t love them. The stuff that is almost 80’s pop always gets my ear.

6- Why you think people lose interest on hardcore and broke the straight edge?
For some, hardcore is just a period in their lives and they move on. It is the same with whatever people might get into during their youth. People’s tastes change and no one can be faulted for that. Straight edge is the same thing. I have never had an urge to smoke anything or drink any alcohol, so maybe I just don’t really “get it”, but I am sure the social pressures of that sort of thing get to people and when they see others around them doing those things and they want to be included, they feel like they have to do it as well or they will be singled out. For me, punk and hardcore has always been about being out on one’s own, so that sort of thing doesn't bother me. I don’t want to hang out in bars and I don’t want to spend my free time doing things other than playing guitar or practicing with an aggressive band, so it has fit my lifestyle perfectly.

7- Any especial shows you remember? Why?
There are lots of shows I remember from my youth that were pretty violent in Miami that I remember not for a good reason. I always have thought violence has no place at shows, and it sucks for me that those sorts of things are embedded in my memory. Shows I remember for a good reason would be the last time we played in Guatemala. It may sound cheesy recalling that during an interview by people that were there, but that show really put me in a great place emotionally. I felt like we had the chance to make a connection with everyone there, and we did it. Some of the early Esteem shows at this tiny venue that was just a warehouse I used to book shows at were really memorable. There is just something about being in a room with 200 other kids, being so packed in you can’t move, sweating and singing together and everyone gets along. Any show where there is that connection between the band and the kids really makes me feel special. I recently saw Ignite and felt like that. They were playing on a stage that was maybe six inches off the ground and everyone was packed to the front and screaming the lyrics back to them. It really is something I haven’t seen possible outside of hardcore. Sorry for that little tangent. Um… some other shows I really remember were seeing Crash Davis at this venue called Higher Learning in Ft. Myers, FL in 1997. It was for the same reason. I didn’t know any words at this show, but everyone was just having so much fun and the band ruled and the message was great.

8- What do you think its the difference between hardcore scene on the past and the actual one? The biggest difference is the accessibility people have to music. It used to be that if you wanted to be a part of the hardcore scene, you had to really go out and find the shows and look for the records. You had to order albums and wait eight weeks for them to ship, if they shipped at all. There was no way to get some albums aside from going to the show and picking it up from the band. Now, things are so easy. Kids can download, buy merch, listen to whatever they want and they don’t have to leave their rooms. The difficulty is what made things so cool. You’d get to a show and you’d think to yourself “Wow, these people also heard this was happening”, or in a lot of cases “I remember handing half of the people in here a flyer for this”. No one takes that time anymore. For Test of Time, we print up flyers and when we try to hand them to some people, they act like we are giving them a bag of dog shit. I got to be exposed to hardcore and punk just before the internet became so prevalent, and I am really glad I was. The DIY culture was instilled in me in those few years and I think that is what lacks now.

9- Let´s talk about Test of Time, can you tell us about next tour plans
Test of Time is about to go to Europe for the first time. We have our first show on July 24 and our last August 9. We are doing a lot of Eastern Europe; no UK or far west. It is very exciting. Only two of us have toured Europe before, so it is going to be a great experience for us to all share together. We really feel lucky to have even been asked. We aren't able to tour as much as a lot of other bands, which is why we try and stay steady with our musical releases, but we want to get out and play anywhere we can. If you’d like to see us, let us know, and we will do our best to get to you. Aside from Europe, we have plans for a record release weekend when we get back and then from there, we will see what is available to us.

10- Can you provide us an update of the new test of time record?
The new LP is our first full length. It is songs from the same recording session that we did for “The Price” and “A Place Beyond”. We went and recorded 26 originals all at once, and have been pulling from those during this last year. We also did six covers, two of which we have released online so far. I don’t want to say we are re-inventing the wheel or doing anything particularly new, but it is a newer direction for us. We are trying to progress with each release and since this is Todd’s first band, each record is him becoming more comfortable with his voice and it’s character. I think that is most evident in this new LP. We also have a three song cassette split with Lay it on the Line from the UK that we did just for Europe. It is three new songs that we recorded in our practice space, separate from the 26 we did earlier at Q Division studios. Those are even something different. I tried to write some songs that didn't sound like anything we had yet, so they are chorus heavy, and there is one song with only like ten songs of drums in the entire song. We will probably stream those before we head to Europe.

11- How was the experience to record a song (timeline for A Place Beyond 7¨ record) with Pat Flynn (Have Heart), Sweet Pete (In My Eyes) and Brian Connors (Caught in a Crowd).
It wasn't too crazy of a situation. I recorded them in my old bedroom, which is where we used to do all the vocals when we recorded. I have known Pat and Brian for a long time and then met Pete when I moved to Boston, so we just asked them to come over. The idea for that was actually Todd’s. The lyrics deal with just getting into the hardcore scene, then after you've been involved for a while, and finally, years into the entire thing and looking back. He thought it would be cool to represent that with someone from a newer band, a recent band, and then a band that broke up a while ago. I think it really came out well. It was fun to have everyone in my room at once and get to direct them on how to sing parts. My 14 year old self would never have guessed that I would be recording and directing Sweet Pete from In My Eyes.

12- Can you tell us how was the experience to tour with Test of time in Mexico, Guatemala and El SalvadorI can speak for everyone in the band when I say that it was an incredible time for us and something we all desperately needed. I love getting to travel and being in Mexico and Guatemala, where I have so many friends, is truly a gift. We came from playing shows in the US where a few people would watch us and maybe sing along here and there to playing to rooms full of kids that just wanted to hear some music and be a part of whatever was happening. That is a unique opportunity that we were given. Pablo and Roi really did for us something that we probably couldn't do for ourselves by allowing us to come and play. It is an honor to share the stage with the bands we have gotten to play with. We were so touched by the experience that “A Place Beyond” was designed around that trip. The layout is exclusively pictures of our trip. There are no photos of us playing live. We put pictures of other bands we played with, friends we made, things we did, and sights we saw. The song “Perception” is all about what the news and other people were telling the members of the band that hadn't toured those areas before and how wrong the perception of things are. If I could, I would make a few trips a year to see everyone and to play through those areas. I toured Central America in 2007 with Trample and we got to also play Panama and Costa Rica, and I have never felt closer to the kids at a show then the times I have played in Central America. You guys have an incredible scene going and I think it is something you should be very proud of. Thank you for letting us come and be a part of it.

13- Any plans to tour Central America again? (including Costa Rica and Panama)
I want to go anywhere and everywhere. I would really like to play Costa Rica and Panama again and would love to play Guatemala as much as possible. Anytime we are asked, we will figure out a way to get down there. You guys just let us know when you want us back. 14- For the people that don´t know Test of time, can you provide us some contact info Test of Time is Todd, Robert, Jeff, Mike and Charles (me). You can email the band at xtestoftime@gmail.com or hit us up on Facebook, which I check. Here are some sites for our music:

15- Finally can you give us any words for the people who follow this blog
Thanks It is always hard in interviews like this to get across some personality, and I hope that the language isn't difficult for anyone reading in Spanish. I hope that Coque could maybe share some memories of us hanging out together on the drive to and from El Salvador so everyone can get a better idea of my personality beyond what I have written here. I suppose I will leave you with a few thoughts. Consider a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Give it a try. If you don’t like it, don’t do it. It is something that impacts the world beyond you and makes a positive global change. If it isn't for you, at least you tried it. The Central America and Mexican hardcore scenes are amazing right now. Grow that. Don’t let anything take away what you have. Una Ves Mas para vida!!

1- Can you talk about Safe and Sound, how the band start, where you guys meet each other?

Safe and Sound started in January 2012 when Billy (our original bassist) got together Jaxon (vocalist), Joe (original drummer), and I (Rusty, guitarist) to start a hardcore band. Billy, Joe, and I were friends and Billy knew Jaxon from tumblr. We started jamming and wrote four songs and released a demo at the end of January and played our first show in February. Billy quit in March and was replaced by my friend Mat on bass. In August, we added Joe's friend Jacob on rhythm guitar, and in November, Joe quit and Will played his first show as our drummer.

2- Can you talk about The Tides Ep, how was the recording process?

The Tides was recorded by Phil Jones at The Dangler in Seattle in February of this year. We recorded everything track by track, starting with the drums and then the guitar, bass, vocals, and some lead parts last. The only major difficulty was deciding whether to record one instrument at a time or recording it live. All in all, it was streamlined and easy and we're proud of the effort and time we put into it.

Unfortunately, we've all been busy with individual concerns to start writing anything new, but we'd like to get together as soon as possible and start writing for a follow-up or split. Hopefully after our upcoming Canada tour!

5- How is the Hardcore and Straight Edge scene from your city?

Hardcore in the Northwest (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon) is in a pretty good spot right now. There's not an abundance of venues, but there's a lot of good bands and a lot of good newer bands. Each city has it's own vibe, but it's it all kind of intermingles. There's too many good current bands right now, so keep an eye (and an ear!) out for anything coming out of the Pacific Northwest.

6- Where did you guys already tour? Can you mention some bands that you have been played with

Our first tour was a week in July 2013 in Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta) with Cold Sleep, and bands to check out from that tour are Contention and The Chain. We then went down the coast to California for the first time in November, and then again with Singled Out in March 2014, and some bands from those tour worth checking out are Reunion, Stay Scared, Bad Times Crew, True Hearted, Spinebreaker, Drug Control, and Kid Armor. We're heading out to Western Canada again in August with Father's Lungs.

7- Any funny thing that happened on tour, in a show?

I can't really recall too many really funny things from tour or shows. However, on our second west coast tour, Jaxon threw the microphone, I stopped playing a song and started moshing with my guitar, and other silly things like that have happened. We're all goofy weirdos, so everything is a little funny. One thing that still gets brought up from time to time, though, is on our west coast with Singled Out, we played Mario Party in the van and I won the coin lottery and went on this really long wrestling style rant about how no one else could possibly be capable of winning 100 coins.

8- Can you tell us about witch bands influenced your sound?

Our influences have changed a lot since starting, but right now I'd say our biggest influences are Outspoken, Inside Out, Vision, Youth Of Today, Trial, Beyond, Burn, and 108. At least with what I write, anyway.

9- How did you guys saw Straight Edge in this days? What this means for your life

I personally feel like straight edge isn't as integral a component to hardcore as it used to be, and I don't say this in a good or bad way. I just mean, it's not such a distinct thing. There's still straight edge bands and I feel like straight edge kids in hardcore take it more seriously (when it's for the right reasons), but it's just not as popular. Not as many straight edge kids or straight edge bands. I can't speak for everyone else, but straight edge is of a great importance to me. I claimed for spiritual reasons (I'm Buddhist) and it just seemed like the best commitment I could make for my life.

10- Did any of the members play(ed) in other bands?

Jaxon briefly played drums in a local hardcore band, No Choice, Mat played guitar in Vacate, which became Sentient, Will played drums in Bad Influence and plays drums in Lo There Do I See My Brother, and I played bass in Vacate and Sentient.

11- Why you think people lose interest on hardcore and broke the edge?

I think people sometimes just "grow out of" or get tired of hardcore. It stops being relevant to them and their reasons for being a part of it fade or change. Maybe the get tired of the people, or the music, or just make excuses. It's different for everyone, and the same can be said about people that break edge, but I think most often people just claim for the wrong reasons and it just stops being applicable to them.

12- Do you guys know anything about Latin America hardcore bands?

I mostly just know about Remission and Dedication, but they're both outstanding and need to play here! Remission played here once, but I didn't know about them yet and missed out on the show. :(

13- Plans to visit Central America?

No plans, but we'd really love to someday!

14- Finally can you give us any words for the people who follow this blog and also provide band contact so people can follow you, thanks

1- How did you know about hardcore and sxe? Remeber your first show?
I was lucky that the punk kids in my high school found me and took me in.
My first show was a small punk show in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was like all of the misfits from my town gathered to celebrate their differentness. I fell in love and going to shows became
2- How was the hardcore scene in that time?
In my opinion, hardcore was flourishing in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The youth crew scene had been going strong and then flowed into a more melodic, even more politically engaged scene in the ‘90s. Bands like Outspoken, Shelter, Endpoint, and By the Grace of God changed up the sound a bit and brought inspiring messages to kids. People were really thinking about politics, vegetarianism and veganism were increasingly common, and the music was interesting.
3- Any especial shows you remember? Why?
So many special shows! Seeing Insted play “We’ll Make the Difference” inspired me to change the world. Watching queercore bands like Tribe 8 and Spitboy challenged me to think about sexism and homophobia. Listening to Greg from Trial talk about political prisoners and oppression between songs reminded me of hardcore’s potential to speak about social justice. Seeing Earth Crisis for the first time in 1996 showed how animal rights had become even more important in the scene. My early shows included Born Against and Downcast, both of which criticized capitalism. Neurosis blew my mind on their early tours, presenting a stunning wall of sound with creepy films playing behind the band. But most of all I remember the friendships.
4- There's moment in the scene that you want to return back and live it again?
I try not to get overly nostalgic about the past, and I never want to be one of those jaded scenesters who thinks everything was better “back in the day.” I think the scene is thriving. Still, I really, really liked hardcore – both the music, and the message - in the ‘90s, for the reasons I stated above.
5- Have you play in any band, or any projects to make one?
I am musically useless! Being in a band is one of my unfulfilled ambitions and it will probably remain unfulfilled. I try to make my contributions to the scene through my writing.
6- Which bands influenced you?
I always most liked bands with a message behind their music. So when I was younger, Outspoken, Chain of Strength, Chorus of Disapproval, Youth of Today, Judge, Fugazi, and of course Minor Threat. Later, Trial, Stretch Arm Strong, Harvest, Bane. And more recently, Have Heart and Verse, and WolfxDown. Oh, and I was a HUGE Metallica fan, at least through their first four records, haha!
7- Can you talk us about your book ¨Straight Edge: Hardcore Punk, Clean Living Youth, and Social Change¨
Straight Edge is based upon many years of going to shows and talking with straight edge kids around the U.S. I analyzed different aspects of straight edge, including whether we can think of it as a social movement, how gender (masculinity and femininity) happen in the scene, and what happens when straight edge kids get older. I wanted to represent a wide variety of regular straight edge kids rather than interviewing only “famous” musicians. So you get to hear their voices and read my analysis.
8- Any other books you wrote?
I have several other books:
Subcultures: The Basics, about all different sorts of subcultures and theories about why people participate, how society reacts, and how subcultures have become global.
Goths, Gamers, and Grrrls: Deviance and Youth Subcultures, examining deviant behavior in relation to youth scenes.
The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference, an action-oriented guide for everyday people who want to help create a more just and sustainable world.
9- Why you think people lose interest on hardcore and broke the sxe?
Wow, that’s a tough question that depends upon each individual. However, I have researched and written about this a bit. For some people, the “scene” changes from being inspiring and empowering to being limiting and frustrating. As straight edge “kids” become adults, have families, get jobs, they might feel like the scene relates less to their lives. And being drug free seems less important.
However – and I want to emphasize this – there are a lot of people out there who remain straight edge into their “adult” lives, even if they don’t have much (or any) connection to hardcore music. One of my current projects is about how experience in DIY hardcore scenes – setting up shows, doing ‘zines, booking tours, making music, and so on – actually gives people useful skills in their future careers.
10- Do you know anything about latin america hardcore bands?
Sure! I’m always looking into new bands, usually one’s that show up in my Facebook feed through the Straight Edge Worldwide page. I have travelled in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, and Peru – I love Latin America and hope to visit many more times.
11- Finally can you give us any words for the people who follow this blog, thanks
Straight edge and hardcore have made a huge impact on my life! Keep it positive!